


The Blind Raven

by faeriemilk



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, One Direction, hogwarts - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drinking, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:28:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeriemilk/pseuds/faeriemilk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Styles is a bookish yet awkward Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His sixth year includes fan girls, parties, and the decision between an intimidating Slytherin girl and the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Either choice will leave him with a hidden danger lurking in the dungeons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inkwell

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fan fiction in quite some time so I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes or if the plot is poorly planned out. Harry Potter & Co. will not be appearing in this fic but the professors and a few minor characters may be included.

The sixth year Ravenclaw boy's dormitory was still filled with the sound of snoring as Harry got dressed to go down to breakfast. He adjusted his blue and bronze striped tie and examined himself in the full body mirror before grabbing his bag and tip-toeing out the door. Professor Binns had assigned an essay two weeks ago and because of his dislike for the class, he had neglected to write it until the very last minute. Harry figured if he scarfed down a quick breakfast and ran off to the library, he could get some work done before his first class. He passed a few early birds in the common room and flashed them a smile before exiting.

When he reached the Great Hall and found a place to sit at the Ravenclaw table, he felt someone sit beside him. Harry could tell it was his Gryffindor mate, Niall, out of the corner of his eye.

"Morning, Niall," Harry said as he scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"Morning, Harry! There's gonna be a party tonight at the usual place. Louis managed to get some firewhiskey. You gonna be there?" Niall asked. Harry wondered how his friend could be so boisterious so early in the morning; he was feeling quite tired himself. He thought for a few moments while sliding a couple pieces of bacon onto his plate before answering.

"I dunno, mate. I've got that essay to do for History of Magic," Harry admitted. This earned him an eyeroll.

"Seriously? You can do it tomorrow. C'mon and have some fun with me and the boys," Niall whined. Harry munched on some bacon and glanced at his friend's pleading face. He did have a knack for completing assignments quickly and satisfatorily no matter how long he put it off so he could work on some before class and finish the rest tomorrow... He heaved a sigh and waved his hand.

"Alright, alright. I'll be there," Harry conceded. Niall laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Fantastic. See ya there, mate," Niall said as he got up from the table. He winked and trotted off to the Gryffindor table where some of his fellow Quidditch teammates were waiting. Harry stared at his eggs. His face felt hot... Reaching a hand up to his cheek, he realized that it did in fact feel warmer than usual. What was that all about? He gulped down some pumpkin juice and began to eat hurriedly, trying to get the image of Niall winking out of his head.

Harry had to admit, Niall seemed to take over his mind in recent weeks. When Harry had gone down to the locker rooms to congratulate Niall on Gryffindor's win over Hufflepuff just a few weeks before, he couldn't keep his eyes off of Niall's body after he had peeled off his Quidditch robes. That night whilst lying in bed, Harry prayed his friend hadn't noticed his oogling.

When he finished eating, he sped off toward the library, the urgency of finishing this essay creeping into the thoughts of Niall. He avoided the hawk-like stare of Madam Pince as he sauntered into the library, opting to take a seat at a table near the very back. If he wanted to attend that party, he would need to get as much done as possible. Running a hand through his slightly messy brown hair, he pulled out some parchment, a quill, and a few books from his bag and got to work.

After a while, the bell rang to signal the first classes and Harry leapt up anxiously, knocking over a bottle of ink in the process.

"Shit," he muttered, staring at the ink-splattered table in horror. He didn't want to know what Madam Pince would do if she found the mess he had made.

"Need some help with that?" asked a female voice. He wheeled around to see sixth year Slytherin, Leona Westrup, leaning against a bookshelf. They had spoken only a few times before. She had helped him on a few occasions in Potions class when he had decided to daydream while the professor was giving instructions rather than pay attention. He had been grateful for her help then. But one class period, when she went to the storage cabinet to fetch some more Doxy eggs, Harry watched her skirt ride up and caught a glimpse of her panties and suffered a boner for the rest of the class, which he hid with his Potions book anytime she came over to check if his potion was brewing properly.

Leona stepped forward and reached into her robes for her wand. She flicked her wand lazily at the table and the ink vanished.

"Thank you. Oh my god, you're a life saver," Harry uttered as he began shoving his books into his bag.

"No problem," she smiled. He felt a rush of blood south of his belt and swallowed as he crammed the last of his things in his bag.

"So, uh, what class do you have now?" he asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He sucked in his cheek and bit down, hoping his walk didn't look as awkward as it felt.

"Charms. My favorite class, though Professor Flitwick can be a little too chipper in the morning... What about you?" Leona asked as they weaved their way through shelves and finally exited the library. She didn't seem to notice that his walk was a little strange and he kept his hand in the pocket of his robes to cover the bulge in his pants.

"Uh, I've got Transfiguration. And yes, I actually pay attention in that class," Harry said. Leona chuckled which made Harry smile.

"Well that's good to know," she said, tucking a lock of black hair behind her ear. He realized he had been watching her a little too much and quickly looked forward. She was a pretty girl, with thick dark hair and dark eyes, not normally his type but he had noticed her before the whole Potions class incident. Silence had fallen over them as they walked but a wave of confidence washed over Harry and before he could stop himself, he was speaking.

"Hey, do you want to come to a party tonight? Some of my friends are throwing it in one of the empty classrooms on the fifth floor." He searched her face, hoping to not be met with rejection. He didn't know what had come over him but he silently prayed she would say yes.

"Yeah, I'll come," Leona said finally. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great! I'll see you there," he grinned. She nodded and flashed a smile back before turning down a corridor to the Charms classroom. He finished the rest of his walk to Transfiguration with a spring in his step, sans boner now that he had left Leona's side.

* * *

 

The Slytherin common room was slightly drafty and quite empty when Leona returned from lunch. She pointed her wand at the fireplace and the dying embers were replaced with a roaring fire. She sank onto one of the leather sofas near the fire and her mind drifted to Harry. He had looked so helpless and silly that morning, ink splattered all over the library table; the thought made her chuckle. His invitation to the party that evening had taken her by surprise. Perhaps he did it out of gratitude for helping him so many times but regardless, she looked forward to seeing him again. Leona definitely thought he was attractive but she was unsure that he viewed her in the same light. A voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked over in the direction of an ornate armchair.

"Are you cold?" the owner's voice asked. Zayn emerged from the shadow the chair casted. He got up and walked over to her, a blanket in hand. "Here, cover up."

"Thanks," she mumbled gratefully, spreading the blanket over her legs.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, sitting next to her, his brown eyes boring into her own. Leona frowned slightly.

"How do you know something's on my mind?" she inquired, crossing her arms. He chuckled.

"You get that weird look on your face when you're daydreaming. Who is it this time? That Hufflepuff bloke, Liam?" Zayn asked, narrowing his eyes. It was Leona's turn to laugh.

"No, absolutely not. Liam is my good friend and he has a lovely girlfriend," Leona replied. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It's Harry. Harry Styles."

"Oh," Zayn nodded thoughtfully. Leona suddenly grew concerned. She regarded Zayn's opinion highly; they had been friends and neighbors for quite a few years and he always told her what he thought about anything. They had spent many days hanging out in her bedroom and talking for hours about anything and everything until Zayn's house elf, Rigby apparated and announced that Zayn was to return home for dinner. What could make Zayn so silent about a boy? She wondered whether there was something unfavorable about Harry that she didn't know about.

"'Oh'? What do you mean, 'oh'?" She asked nervously, her fingers toying with a frayed part of the blanket. Zayn rubbed his chin, thinking of what to convey to his friend.

"Well... it's just that there are always tons of girls chasing after Harry and I don't necessarily trust him. It's fine if you like him but I don't want you to get hurt," he replied. Leona remained silent. Harry certainly didn't seem like a ladies man to her. In fact, he seemed quite awkward. She knew, however, that many girls had taken a liking to Harry over the years, especially at the beginning of this term. He had arrived at Hogwarts looking far more handsome than ever and he seemed to have grown taller too. The Harry she had seen during class seemed perpetually lost in a dream and dare she say it? A bit shy. But if Zayn had heard this about Harry, she wondered if it really could be true. She trusted Zayn.

"Okay, I'll be careful. But he invited me to a party tonight," Leona confessed. "Should I still go?"

"If you really want to, Leona. But if he tries anything stupid, just let me know," Zayn replied, twirling his wand between his long fingers and giving her a wicked grin. Leona hoped Harry didn't live up to his reputation since she knew Zayn had a talent for hexes and jinxes. If Harry wasn't careful, he would most likely end up in the hospital wing after being on the receiving end of one of Zayn's spells.


	2. Brooms and Firewhiskey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit dirty. Proceed with caution.

The party was in full swing and Niall's fellow Gryffindor, Louis, had come through with the firewhiskey. Louis was telling a group of people about his alcohol stealing adventure for what Harry assumed was the seventh time that night. So far, the lookouts (a few third years being paid in butterbeer and Zonko's products) posted on the fifth floor had reported no roaming teachers yet so everyone was quite at ease. The only thing that concerned Harry was that Leona was no where in sight.

Harry passed Niall and a group of other Quidditch players, who were loudly debating plays and broomstick models. They were all quite drunk and one of them had just opened another bottle of firewhiskey. Niall noticed Harry wandering around and he stumbled toward him, yet managed to not spill a drop of his drink.

"Harryyyyy! Are you havin' fun?" Niall asked garishly, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Yeah, lots of fun," Harry said loudly so Niall could hear him over the music. 

"Good! Be sure to drink up because we have a lottttt of this shit!" Niall grinned before bringing his cup to his lips and taking a gulp. And as quickly as Niall appeared, he had gone and returned quickly to the other drunk athletes. Harry chuckled and shook his head. Quite a few people had showed up to the party and he was surprised that the large classroom was filled. The desks and chairs had been stacked all along the walls, a few left here and there to accommodate the alcohol, snacks, and drunk bodies that needed support.

Harry noticed the door open but he couldn't quite see who entered. He kept his eyes trained to the spot and sure enough, Leona appeared through the crowd. He took a deep breath and exhaled before making his way over to her.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd show up," Harry said. She smiled up at him before glancing around at her surroundings.

"One of the lookouts gave me some trouble," She shrugged, grabbing an empty cup and filling it up. Harry furrowed his brow.

"Really? Which one was it? I'll teach him a lesson."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Leona laughed. "He kept pestering me for a date. He thought he was being smooth but I threatened him with a hex and he left me alone quick." Harry wondered which of the third years it was as he watched her take a sip of her drink. He was quite positive it was one of the cheeky Gryffindor kids but he'd have to ask Niall to make sure.

They talked and drank the night away and before they knew it, they were quite tipsy. A lot of the party goers had left and half of the ones that remained were passed out on the floor and on various chairs and desks. Harry had been glad that the alcohol loosened him up but now it seemed he was a little too loosened up. The whole night, he watched Leona's cheeks get redder from the alcohol and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her lips whenever she talked or laughed. He needed to get out of this room, away from these people. 

Leona had been talking about the complexity of brewing the Polyjuice Potion when he stopped her and grabbed her wrist and guided her toward the door.  
"Where are y-"

Harry led them into another, smaller empty classroom a few doors down. As soon as he closed the door behind them, he crashed his lips onto hers. She kissed back with equal enthusiasm and he pulled her close. 

His hand snaked up her shirt and she moaned when he pushed her bra up and began rolling one of her nipples between his fingers. She retaliated by planting kisses down his neck, causing him to bite back a moan. He steered her toward a table and pushed her down on it, pushing up her skirt and kissing down her thighs. She began pulling off her panties and kicked them off, looking up at Harry seductively. 

"Oh god, I need you so bad," Harry whispered, longing to fuck her hard on the table. He positioned himself between her legs and plunged his tongue into her, eager to please and to hear her screaming. Licking a stripe up her slit, he savored the taste of her and enjoyed the noises he caused her to make. His tongue found it's way to her clit and he swirled it around the nub. Leona's legs shook and her nails dug into the table's surface as he licked and sucked, her chest heaving. She reached for the button on his trousers and he didn't need to be told twice; he stepped out of his trousers quickly, stumbling slightly when it got caught on one leg, and tossed them aside. Leona's eyes fell to the prominent bulge in his boxers and she grinned before yanking them down. He pumped his hand up the length of his shaft a couple times before rubbing against her dripping core. 

Without warning, he filled her in one thrust and she cried out in pain and pleasure. His next few thrusts were slow but they quickly sped up, his hands pushing down on the backs of her knees. 

"Mmm, fuck me harder, Harry," Leona breathed. Harry moaned at the sound of his name leaving her mouth. He obliged, driving into her with such force that the table legs rattled against the floor. He didn't care how loud they were being and he didn't care if they got caught. All he could think of was her wet pussy clenching around his dick and the way her body writhed with each thrust. He knew she was close to coming, as was he, and he continued to fuck her hard until she arched her back, mouth open in a silent scream of ecstasy. The way her pussy clenched so tightly as she came sent him over the edge and he pulled out, moaning loudly as he spent himself on her lower abdomen.  
With weak knees, he sat on top of the table next to her and kissed her. At that moment, the door swung open, causing them to jump in surprise. Just as quickly as it had opened, it slammed shut and left both Harry and Leona stunned. 

"We better get out of here," Harry mumbled as he hurriedly grabbed their clothes off the floor. 

* * *

  
"Niall, what's the matter? You've dropped the Quaffle like five times now!" 

Niall heaved a sigh and steered his broom to the ground, bending down to grab the Quaffle he had let slip through his fingers moments before. A few of his teammates landed beside him and gave him questioning looks.

"Sorry guys. Too much firewhiskey," he announced, tossing the red ball to Louis who raised his eyebrows. Niall knew Louis didn't buy it but he was sure the others would.

"Alright, let's take a ten minute break, shall we? Hope you feel better quickly, mate. The match against Ravenclaw is coming up in a few days and we can't afford our own captain messing up simple plays," said Robbie, one of the Chasers. He stormed off toward the locker rooms and the others hopped back on their brooms to practice scoring in the goal posts. Robbie was pale, extremely skinny, had a whiny voice, and a knack for trying to dictate what the team did despite the fact that Niall was the captain. Louis remained behind, holding Niall back from going after Robbie and clobbering him. 'I've half a mind to kick that fucker off the team,' he thought, gritting his teeth. Unfortunately, Robbie was quite a decent Chaser and to kick him off would mean having to look for another player which they didn't have time for. He silently cheered Louis on who had shouted after Robbie, "Fuck off!"

It was a sunny and breezy day, perfect for Quidditch practice but Niall couldn't feel anymore down. It had been a week since the party on the fifth floor in the empty class room and he had gotten a little too drunk. Most of the night had been filled with discussing Quidditch with the Gryffindor team and some other players from other houses and the other parts of the night had been him looking for Harry. He had given up since Harry had disappeared sometime during the course of the night and he had assumed his friend had retired to bed. Stumbling down the corridor to find the lavatory, Niall burst into a room finding it was a classroom, much to his bladder's displeasure, and seeing Harry and Leona naked together. He slammed the door shut and took off down the corridor, trying to process what he had just witnessed.  
Niall had to admit. He did feel a twinge of jealousy, but he hadn't expected it to affect him so much. He was constantly distracted throughout the week, both his studies and Quidditch suffered because of it. Louis had taken notice immediately.

"Are you sure you're alright?" his friend asked him concerned.

"I'm fine," Niall answered, his grip on his Cleansweep tightening. 

"You're full of shit. Something has been bothering you since the party," Louis said, narrowing his eyes. Niall refused to say anymore on the matter, hopping on his broom and kicking off from the ground. Louis followed close behind. 

"Fuck, what do you want?" Niall barked in frustration.

"I want to know what the fuck's your problem!" Louis demanded. Niall scoffed and turned to avoid Louis. "It's about that Ravenclaw bloke, isn't it? You aren't friends anymore?" Niall ran a hand through his hair, finally caught.

"I don't know," he muttered. Louis rolled his eyes.

"Go talk to him today. I don't what's going on between you two but you obviously need to sort something out." And with that, Louis sped off towards the others in a blur of red and gold. Niall decided that he should talk to Harry. He wasn't quite sure why he was so hung up on what he saw that night but it needed to be resolved and as soon as possible. Even though he wanted to give Robbie a black eye, he agreed with him that he needed to be on top of his game if they wanted to win against Ravenclaw, who was in first place for the cup. 


	3. Strategy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a twist this chapter. And some dirty bits. :)

Indoors, a handful of students found refuge in the Great Hall, studying for exams and finishing homework. Amongst them was Harry and his Hufflepuff friend Liam, engaged in a game of wizard's chess. They both watched as Harry's queen smashed one of Liam's knights. Liam laughed jovially and picked up the now destroyed knight, setting it aside to clear the board of debris. 

"I still haven't a clue how to play this," he admitted.

"It's all strategy," Harry chuckled. Just as Liam was about to command one of his chess pieces, a figure slipped into the Great Hall and made their way towards them.

"Ah, Leo, how are you, dear?" Liam asked, standing up to greet his friend. Harry could feel his heart drop to his stomach. Leona smiled and hugged him.

"I'm well, thanks," she said, taking a seat next to him. She seemed to be avoiding Harry's gaze. He couldn't blame her. After their little midnight soiree in the empty classroom the week before, he didn't know what to think. In all honesty, he had just wanted to get her in bed and tell his friends about the hot Slytherin he landed. Perhaps he should have handled it a little more delicately because he could tell she was upset with him. He had mostly avoided talking to her after that night but he let his mouth spill free all the details to his mates. After doing so, he instantly regretted it.

Her disposition towards him was icy now. He knew he had lost hope of maintaining good marks in Potions since he sincerely disliked listening to Snape drone on and insult everyone but the Slytherins. Her behavior towards him and his regret in avoiding made him feel awful. He had started neglecting his prefect duties and begun slacking on his school work. What made things worse was how Leona seemed to be friendly with some of his own friends, like Liam for instance. He was surprised to see her sitting with Liam by the lake a few days before, Liam explaining to him that they had been friends since meeting on the Hogwarts Express during their first year. Harry was sure Liam knew what he had done to Leona but the Hufflepuff seemed to carry on being kind to him.

"Liam, playing wizard's chess? But you aren't any good," Leona piped up, looking at the chessboard.

"Yes, I know," Liam replied with a hint of annoyance. He gestured to the pile of pieces he had lost throughout the game with Harry. It was considerably larger than his opponent's. Leona snickered.

"Anyway, Sophia asked me to tell you to meet her down by the lake," she said after she had finished laughing at Liam's misfortune. 

"Mm, got it, thanks," Liam nodded, his attention back to the game in front of him. Leona got up and left the Great Hall and they resumed their game. Harry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, somewhat relieved she had gone so he could stop feeling so bad.

"You know..." Liam suddenly spoke. "You did a number on that girl." Though his eyes never left the chessboard, Harry knew it was about him and Leona.

"Look, I didn't-"

"Listen, mate, I know you didn't mean to hurt her. But come on, she actually liked you. It's fine if you were going after Lyndsey or Rosalie or those other girls that always follow you around, but you've messed with the wrong girl, I can tell you that," Liam said before directing a piece on the board. Harry groaned and rubbed his face. 

"She's probably going to poison me. Oh god... she's the best student right now in Potions. I'm going to die," Harry muttered into his hands. Liam laughed at this.

"Nah, you won't get poisoned. Hexed maybe, but not by her," he said with a smile. "C'mon now, it's your turn."

* * *

  
Niall nervously entered the Great Hall for dinner, glancing around for a familiar brown haired Ravenclaw. His eyes landed on a pair near the Slytherin table, two tall and intimidating, yet attractive people who seemed to be tossing disgusted looks at the Ravenclaw table. He recognized them as Leona and Zayn. Niall could have sworn he saw Zayn pulling his wand from his robes. Leona seemed to whisper something and shake her head, causing Zayn to sit down reluctantly.  
He made his way toward the Ravenclaw table, adjusting his red and gold tie, and saw Harry sitting next to Lyndsey Blotts and Rosalie Stern, the Quidditch fans who loved the players more than the game. Harry had attracted their attention at the beginning of the year despite not being a Qudditch player, though he hung around them enough to be considered somewhat like them. All Niall needed to do was talk to him, to get things off his chest. He needed a clear head for the game coming up and all that was on his mind was the image of Harry and Leona.

"Harry," Niall said, sitting next to him. Harry looked up in mild surprise. He had been pushing food around his plate with his fork but stopped momentarily.

"Hey, Niall. What's up?"

"I just want to talk to you about something," Niall said.

"Oh, okay. Go ahead," Harry said absently.

"Er, in private, I mean," Niall muttered, eyeing Lyndsey and Rosalie who seemed to throw Niall seductive looks whilst almost clinging onto Harry.

"Oh, we won't say anything. You can talk right here," Lyndsey spoke up, tossing her long auburn hair over her shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes and set down his fork.

"How about later, Niall? There's no way I'm talking about anything important, not with these two gossipers around," Harry said quietly enough so only Niall could hear. Niall nodded in understanding. Both Lyndsey and Rosalie, as good lays as they were, often babbled about their adventures in the sheets and often babbled about anything else they believed to be juicy. To say what was on his mind in front of them would be too risky.

"Meet me at 11, on the fifth floor," Niall said quietly to Harry before joining his other friends at the Gryffindor table. 

Once dinner was over and the last plates of dessert had vanished from the tables, everyone filed out of the Great Hall to return to their dormitories. Niall had made it out into the entrance hall when someone fell into step beside him.

"Saw you talking to Styles. What was that all about?" Niall looked beside him to see Zayn. 

"Nothing really. Told him I wanted to have a chat with him tonight. Definitely not going to say anything in front of his two girlfriends," Niall replied as they moved down the corridor so as to not block anyone's path. 

"He's got some nerve messing with my best friend's feelings," Zayn said darkly. 

"Are you going to fight him?" Niall inquired. 

"We'll see," Zayn shrugged. Niall knew if Zayn could get Harry on his own, Harry would be toast. He didn't particularly know how he felt about that. Harry did sort of deserve it after all; even Niall could tell that Leona liked Harry, it had been so obvious the times he had seen them both interacting together. They would have made a nice couple if Harry hadn't opened his mouth about the whole ordeal and refused to speak to Leona afterwards. Niall felt that Harry was just trying to live up to his friends' expectations. They expected Harry to shag and brag. He was quite popular afterall and was friendly with most of the Quidditch players whose main activity other than playing the sport was getting girls and bragging to each other. Niall and Zayn walked a little ways away from everyone leaving the Great Hall and turned the corner to end up in a desolate corridor.

"It's been a while," Zayn murmured as he turned towards Niall, one of his hands resting on Niall's hip. 

"It has," Niall agreed before their lips connected. Niall felt Zayn's tongue slither into his mouth and moaned lightly, tugging on the green and silver tie around the boy's neck. He felt him grin into the kiss and just as quickly as their lips came together, Zayn pulled away and attached his lips to Niall's neck. Niall gnawed on his bottom lip to keep from moaning as Zayn sucked and bit at his neck, an action which was sure to leave a mark. 

They had been meeting like this since last school year, in empty corridors, unused classrooms, and the lavatories. On one occasion, Moaning Myrtle had happened upon them in a stall together. To keep her quiet about the whole ordeal, they agreed to let her watch if she so happened to come across them, ("Are you shitting me?" Niall had shouted at the suggestion but he had no choice but to agree since Myrtle starting shouting that there were two boys in the girl's bathroom) as long as she didn't make a sound. The ghost seemed to be the only person to know of their secret meetings, aside from Leona of course, whom Zayn confided in about everything. 

Their first meeting had been much different from the following ones. Niall absolutely hated Zayn, not only because Zayn seemed to excel in every class they had together, but because he was also a Slytherin. Zayn's dislike for Niall was reciprocated. He loathed the Gryffindor Quidditch captain's boisterous and upbeat attitude and he simply detested how all he seemed to go on about was the sport he played. Simply put, Zayn couldn't give two shits less. But there was something there, a strange attraction, that during one heated argument over how obnoxious they each thought the other person was, they kissed. It was a frantic sort of kiss, lips crashing together, and suddenly they were apart in absolute shock. What had just happened? That question flashed through their minds but it was quickly replaced with longing and their lips met once more, this time hands grabbing at everything, clothing flying in all directions until finally their bare skin touched. 

Now they were less wild in their approach and more cautious. Niall wasn't sure what his friends would think if they found out he had been fucking someone they weren't too keen on. Not only that, but Zayn was a Slytherin and the Gryffindors would certainly be outraged if he were to come clean about their little relationship. Or was it really a relationship at all? Niall had no idea. They had never discussed that after all this time and Zayn knew Niall had never told anyone about being interested in men as well as women.  
Niall glanced around to make sure no one was nearby as Zayn slid his hand down Niall's trousers. He was hard, desperately anticipating Zayn's hot mouth to wrap around his dick. He waited for Zayn to unbutton his trousers but the Slytherin boy had removed his hand and was looking down the corridor. 

"Someone's coming," Zayn breathed. Niall's heart sped up when he heard the footsteps drawing nearer. 

"Oh fuck," Niall uttered. They both took off in the opposite direction of the footsteps, Niall in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and Zayn towards the dungeons.


	4. Crumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have been reading! I really appreciate it. Things will begin to pick up quite soon, I promise. Enjoy!

At five minutes to eleven, Harry had been lounging in a chair in the Ravenclaw common room, staring blankly at a book for Charms class. His green eyes had read the same paragraph several times before he realized what he was doing. A feeling welled in his stomach, not of hunger or nausea, but guilt for having hurt an innocent girl's feelings. This feeling hit him harder when Roger Davies of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had walked over, commended Harry for nailing one of the previously thought unattainable Slytherin girls, and clapped him hard on the back. He smiled weakly and nodded and tried to make himself appear to be hard at work. But that couldn't be anymore true.

In all of his wallowing, he had almost forgotten that he promised to meet Niall. He looked at the clock perched neatly on one of the large mahogany bookcases and leapt out of his seat. He was going to be late. He cursed under his breath and ignored the strange looks as he practically flew out of the common room door.

The corridors seemed to be alive despite the fact that they were empty. He jumped at every small sound and every creak in each suit of armor he passed. He could have sworn he heard one mutter about kids always roaming around on this floor but he continued walking. When he rounded the corner to where the parties were usually held, he saw Niall peeking out of a doorway.

"Thought you forgot about me," Niall murmured as Harry jogged inside and quietly shut the door behind him.

"Sorry, I was studying," Harry lied, pushing his curls out of his eyes. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" The room was dark aside from the moonlight flooding in from the tall windows opposite of them. Harry could see Niall's face contort at his question, obviously thinking of what to say. The Gryffindor squinted at the ground as he rubbed the side of his face.

"About last week. The party, well, after the party..." Niall began. When Harry said nothing, he continued. "Look, I kinda walked in on something I shouldn't have. I needed to take a piss and saw... some stuff."

Harry wanted to bang his head against one of the desks. This is what Niall wanted to talk about? Him fucking a girl? Did he want all of the details like everyone else? He decided right then and there to put his guilty conscience to rest and make amends with Leona. He would find a way to silence all of the gossipers.

"You know what, I'm fucking sick of people asking to hear about this. I shouldn't have fucking told anyone," Harry said, his voice wavering with anger. Niall looked at him in surprise, quite shocked at Harry's sudden outburst.

"I'm sure you're angry about everything that's gone on after that. Trust me, I want a Confundus charm done on me so I can forget what I saw," Niall said. Harry tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes regarding Niall suspiciously.

"So, you don't wanna hear about it then?" He asked. Niall let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"No, I don't. Is that what you thought I asked you here for?"

"Well... yeah. What did you bring me here for?" Harry asked. He felt a bit bad for going off on Niall moments before.

"I... I don't know. I keep thinking of seeing you and Leona together. It's pretty fucking weird. I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel... jealous? Yeah, jealous," Niall said, though it seemed more to himself than directed at Harry. The Ravenclaw stood rooted to the spot, confused as to what was happening. Did Niall have feelings for Leona? Niall did admit she was attractive on more than one occasion but the fact that she was in Slytherin deterred him. Harry knew of his absolute dislike for the serpentine house. He studied Niall closely, from head to toe, trying to figure out what this blonde boy might be trying to convey to him. But nothing made sense.

"I'm not following," Harry interrupted. Niall looked up at him with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

"Well, uh, I just... I care about you. I don't know what I'm saying actually. Forget this happened, please," Niall said. He reached the door in a few strides and opened it with a slightly shaky hand. Harry's eyebrows were knitted together in confusion as he watched his friend disappear in the dark corridor.

A minute had passed and it seemed Niall was not coming back. Harry exited the room and made his way back to the Ravenclaw common room, still cognizant of his surroundings so as not to get a detention for being out of bed, but also thinking about how strangely Niall had acted. The Quidditch captain said he cared about Harry. Well wasn't that a given? They were friends after all. Before he knew it, a door with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker appeared before him and it suddenly spoke.

"What causes the most discord but also the most cooperation?" The bronze eagle asked. Harry stood before the door, trying to think of the answer but his thoughts kept going back to what had happened moments before. Harry made note of something else that was odd other than Niall's behavior. Niall had a bruise on his neck, certainly not sustained from Quidditch. Harry looked up at the eagle after some time had passed.

"Love," he answered. The door to the Ravenclaw common room opened.

* * *

 

"Can anyone tell me what types of potions use the Jobberknoll feather?" asked the cold voice of Professor Snape. The classroom felt chilly and damp as it always did, resulting in the students crowding around their cauldrons and fires to warm up whilst brewing potions. Leona wished Snape would light a fire in the mostly unused fireplace as she pulled down on her skirt and moved her robes to cover her legs more.

"Mr. Styles," Snape said suddenly, causing the Ravenclaw to jump in his seat. He had been staring across the room with a blank expression, most likely lost in a daydream as usual. "Tell me, in what potions would you use the Jobberknoll feather?" Harry looked horrified. Leona knew he had no idea what the answer was.

"Um, the Jobberknoll feather..." he murmured, trying to remember what it was. A few classmates chuckled. Snape's lips curled into a smirk.

"Yes, Mr. Styles, the Jobberknoll feather. If you paid more attention in class than you do with your head lost in the clouds, perhaps you would know the answer to this simple question," Snape said, his cold black eyes staring into Harry's green ones. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "10 points from Ravenclaw, for being an airhead."

The Ravenclaws began to mutter angrily and a few threw dirty looks at Harry while many of the Slytherins laughed. Leona suddenly felt bad for Harry, feeling the secondhand embarrassment of him being put on the spot. Snape turned to her, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Miss Westrup, would you please inform Mr. Styles?"

"The Jobberknoll feather is used in truth serums as well as memory potions," Leona said.

"Correct. 10 points to Slytherin," Snape said, turning on his heel and marching up to the front of class to write on the board. A few Slytherins muttered in approval of her correct answer. She felt a pair of eyes on her and she turned to see Harry from across the room. He looked extremely solemn and a bit like he hadn't slept the night before. She quickly faced forward and began taking notes, not wanting the wrath of Snape to suddenly turn on her for not paying attention. When the class had finally ended, she packed her things quickly and exited the cold room, desperately wanting to leave the dungeons and to roam the warmer corridors. But she walked right into a body just outside of the room.

"Sorry," she mumbled, picking up one of the books that had fallen out of her arms.

"No, it's my fault," replied a familiar, deep voice. She looked up to see Harry; she sighed deeply and tried to walk around him but he blocked her.

"Would you move, please?" She glared up at the Ravenclaw teen, who only looked back at her with a serious expression.

"We need to talk. Right now," Harry demanded. "I've been a shithead to you, I know. And I'm so sorry. I was just trying to impress my friends, but you started appearing everywhere in front of me and I realized that I really messed up." Leona adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and scoffed at him.

"Are you done? I'd like to get on with my day, thank you." She tried to move past him but he stopped her again, his hands on her shoulders.

"Leona, please, I know I fucked up. I shouldn't have run my mouth, I shouldn't have been so insensitive," Harry said pleadingly.

"You know what, Styles? You really shouldn't have, but you did. All this time I thought you were a nice kid, but I didn't know you were a complete knobhead," she said coldly. At that moment, Snape appeared in the doorway of the now empty classroom and looked between the both of them.

"I'm sure you both have other classes to attend, or would you like detention for skipping them to argue outside of my classroom?" The potions master asked, his arms crossed and looking quite like an old crone dressed in black. Leona stomped away and Harry ran after her. They emerged from the dungeons, walking in silence as they passed students flooding out of other classrooms and running to their next classes. Leona could hear Harry panting right behind her, trying to keep up with her fast walk. She just wanted to get away from him; after suffering over a week's worth of whispers, catcalls, and boys being completely abhorrent towards her and girls tossing her disgusted looks, she didn't want to be anywhere near him. And he had the audacity to chase her around the school after ignoring her?

"Leona," He breathed when she finally stopped near the library. "Leona, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I want to start over," he said, his hand on his side and wincing slightly. Leona remained silent and looked at him, really looked at him. He did look sleep deprived; there were slight bags under his eyes and his face seemed pale. His clothes looked slightly unkempt, wrinkled and hastily thrown on. Leona had to admit he looked pitiful and not quite like the glowing, grinning, handsome Ravenclaw she had remembered seeing saunter confidently past her at the beginning of the year. She didn't know where this sudden crumble in her heart had come from but the vulnerability took her over.

"Alright," Leona said softly. "We can start over." Harry's face broke into a grateful grin.

"Turn around," he said.

"What?"

"Turn around," he repeated, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to face him, confused as to what he was doing.

"Hi, I'm Harry," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. Leona stared down at his hand and couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous this was. She took his hand and shook it.

"Hi Harry. I'm Leona."

Harry beamed and made her link her arm with his as they entered the library together.


	5. Midnight Roam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the big match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw! :) Thanks again for reading. I think you'll all enjoy the upcoming chapter.

The morning of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw was brisk and a light rain had made the grounds slick. Niall had focused as hard as he could in the past couple of practices, trying his best to rid his mind of the lingering thoughts of his fumbled talk with Harry. He hoped that he would play well this game and win. But the gloomy sky had also put a slight damper on his mood and he didn't feel like eating much at breakfast. Louis had suggested he put something in his stomach so he had some eggs and orange juice, which he regretted when everyone walked out to the Quidditch pitch and he saw Harry and Leona walking together on the way there.

The locker room was loud with voices, going over last minute plays and singing songs to get pumped up. Niall had no choice but to join in. He made all of the boys gather after they had dressed and began going over things. "Davies likes to fake passes to Burrow, so make sure to stay on his tail... Remember, Page has trouble covering his left side, it would be best to score that way..." After his reminders and a short pep talk, they made their way out onto the pitch. Niall caught Louis' eye and Louis gave him a small nod and a thumbs up before they were all ordered by Madam Hooch to mount their brooms. When the whistle blew, they all kicked off from the ground and the Chasers from both teams nearly crashed into each other to get to the quaffle.

Davies reigned victorious over possession of the quaffle, Niall quickly on the defense and trying to block him from passing to the other Ravenclaw Chaser nearby. But Davies bumped against him hard, Niall almost losing balance, and the Ravenclaw jetted past him. Niall looked to Madam Hooch, waiting for a foul because of Davies' contact with him but she had been more concerned with the beaters from both teams trying to whack balls at each other. Niall stayed back for a moment, his position more towards the opposite team's goal posts in case Louis or Robbie made a breakaway with the ball and had a chance to score. His eyes wandered from the game and to the stands. He wondered where Harry was... Leona was most likely with him... He also wondered what had happened between them. Obviously there was some reconciliation because he had heard they were seen together in the library the day before.

"Niall! Look out!" Louis bellowed. Niall moved just in time; a bludger had been aimed at his head by one of the Ravenclaw beaters. It flew past him and Robbie hovered a few feet from his side, throwing him a disapproving look. Niall rolled his eyes. If anyone got hit with a ball, he hoped it would be Robbie.

The game progressed and Gryffindor had scored thirty points, only after Ravenclaw scored their first ten. Niall had forgotten about his strange jealous feelings as he was totally immersed in the game. He flew quickly in front of a Ravenclaw player and made a lucky interception, the Gryffindor fans cheering wildly from the stands as he raced off toward their goals. He veered toward the left and flung the ball as hard as he could. The keeper couldn't get there in time; the quaffle soared right through one of the hoops. A few moments later, the Seekers both nosedived, denoting that they had seen the Golden Snitch.

Gryffindor won 190 to 10.

Niall was clapped on the back by his teammates after they had carried their Seeker off the pitch and to the locker rooms in celebration.

"Nice work, Captain!" Louis grinned as he began changing out of his Quidditch gear.

"You too," Niall grinned back. He was relieved that they had won, knowing that if they had lost, it would likely have been due to him. His mind was jumbled most of the time and would drift to Harry on occasion. Most of the others had already showered and left to join in the celebrations when he locked his broom away and went to his locker. He stripped down and went to the showers, glad to be alone.

He didn't want to admit he felt something for his friend and he didn't want to admit that he felt quite upset about seeing Harry with Leona again. Niall thought back to a few nights previous, about how he had such a hard time trying to tell Harry what he felt. His hands scrubbed at his face, washing off the grime and sweat. Why did he have such a hard time talking to Harry? He sighed into his hands.

"Mate, I'm sneaking down to Hogsmeade for firewhiskey, you wanna come?" Louis shouted from some part of the locker room.

"Nah, you go ahead," Niall said after shutting the water off and grabbing his towel.

"Alright. But you better get drunk off your arse with me tonight, Horan," Louis called before he left. Niall definitely planned on getting drunk.

* * *

  
Harry passed a sea of dejected blue and bronze decked students, fans that were clearly upset by the Ravenclaw loss. He had trouble deciding on who to cheer for a lot of the time since most of the players were his friends but he had to admit, he felt disappointed his house lost. He had also lost Leona when the Gryffindor crowd marched back into the castle in a rowdy manner so he roamed the entrance hall looking for her. He hoped she hadn't gone far.

"Hey, Harry!" a voice called. Harry looked in the direction of his name.

"Liam, what's up?" Harry said after making his way towards the Hufflepuff. His girlfriend Sophia stood next to him, talking to one of her friends. She gave him a polite smile, which he returned, before turning her attention back to her conversation.

"Just letting you know there's a party courtesy of Gryffindor house. Lou's on alcohol duty as usual," Liam replied, adjusting the yellow and black scarf draped haphazardly around his neck. Harry thought back to the last Gryffindor hosted party he attended which sent him into a whirlwind of trouble. He thought it would be best to skip it.

"Uh.. I think I'll pass," he uttered quietly. Liam smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Well, Louis promised me a few bottles so some others and I are going to chill and drink a little in the Hufflepuff common room," Liam explained. "You're welcome to join."

"Sure, I just need to find Leona," Harry said, craning his neck over the students still walking back into the castle. Liam raised his eyebrows in interest.

"So you've sorted things out then?" He asked the Ravenclaw who was still focused on trying to catch a glimpse of Leona.

"Yeah, for the most part. I apologized loads of times and we finally decided to start over," Harry answered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his blue trimmed robes. "Ah, there she is! Hey, Leona! Over here!" He waved his hands above his head to catch her attention. He saw her eyes light up in recognition and she smiled before fighting her way across the hall to him. Liam watched this in amusement while Harry kept his eyes on Leona, ignoring the Hufflepuff who was sure to mock him later.

"Sorry, I got pushed aside every which way and then I started chatting with a friend," Leona said breathlessly when she finally reached them. Harry shrugged his shoulder and smiled.

"No worries. Liam's just invited us to the Hufflepuff common room, would you like to come along?" Harry asked nervously. He hadn't noticed that he was twisting a part of his robes in anticipation of her answer. Although he did in fact apologize multiple times since the time Leona's icy exterior had finally melted, he still felt that he had to make it up to her. His blunder still haunted him and it weighed heavily on his conscience. He didn't know when he had gotten to be such an ass.

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Leona replied with a smile to Liam. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright kids, let's go then," Liam said. He turned on his heel and proceeded toward the basement, Sophia glued to his side. They made such a glamorous couple, Harry felt a bit jealous. He glanced at Leona as they followed the two in front of them and wondered if they would ever be considered a good couple. An image flashed across his mind; Niall flying above the crowd on his broom and staring down at the stands. Niall was an attractive guy, he would definitely made a good couple with someone. 'Why did I just think that?' Harry thought, running a hand through his hair.

The group finally made it to the Hufflepuff common room, sounds of commotion greeting their ears the moment they stepped inside. It seemed the alcohol had already been cracked open and older students were helping themselves, playing Exploding Snap, telling stories, and running around the plush furniture giggling tipsily.

"Couldn't wait, could you?" Liam sighed at one of the seventh years who snorted into his drink. Liam chuckled despite himself and turned to the others. "Help yourselves."

'Only a couple drinks tonight,' Harry reminded himself cautiously. He definitely didn't want to be an idiot again and upset Leona. He sipped modestly at the drink he poured himself, well aware of the way Leona's hand brushed against his while they sat on one of the fluffy sofas near the fire. Harry was only half listening to Sophia lamenting one of the unicorns that suffered from an injured hoof in her Care of Magical Creature class. He noticed as the time passed that Leona's face tinted deeper shades of pink from her drinks. He snickered behind his hand, causing her to look over at him.

"I look funny to you, Styles?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Hm? Oh no, not at all," he replied, grinning all the while. "You look simply marvelous." She rolled her eyes and sneered causing him to giggle even though he sincerely meant what he had said.

"Full of shit..." she slurred, slapping his arm. "You're making fun of me!"

"No! I swear!" He managed to say between laughs, wiping at the tears escaping his eyes. The couple of drinks he had made everything that much funnier.

"Oi! Love birds! Fancy a midnight stroll?" Liam asked from across the room. A walk seemed nice and it gave him a chance to work off some of the alcohol.

"Mm, let's do it!" Harry announced his approval, standing up and yanking Leona up with him. She grunted in slight irritation but followed him anyway.

"You two have already done it," Liam said. Leona's jaw dropped and Harry froze, brow furrowed and his lower lip jutting out slightly. "What? Too soon?"

Sophia had decided to stay behind and take care one of her very inebriated friends. Liam, Harry, and Leona were the only ones who seemed keen on the idea of a walk for whatever reason. They wandered the corridors aimlessly, shushing at each other multiple times though making more noise than they actually thought. A few of the paintings tutted and shouted at them to keep it down but this just sent them into a fit of giggles as they stumbled away.

They happened upon a particularly dark corridor and Harry pulled out his wand from his robes.

"Don't worry, I've got this under control," he said, his voice deep. The other two snickered and he shushed them loudly before holding his wand aloft. "Lumos."

Light flooded from the tip of the wand and illuminated the corridor. A yelp was heard only a few meters in front of them and when their eyes adjusted to the light, they realized they were not the only ones out for a stroll.


	6. Close Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say except to enjoy! :)

As always, Louis pulled through with copious amounts of alcohol, enough for the entirety of Gryffindor and the other three houses. Niall was picked up as soon as he had entered the common room and was passed along the shoulders of his red and gold clad housemates. He couldn't help but grin; winning felt great.

Louis demanded that Niall get a drink immediately and Niall didn't need to be told twice. His cup was filled and he went to join in on the chanting and singing.

"Havin' fun, eh?" Louis grinned to Niall a few hours into the party. Niall finished swallowing the last of his drink and nodded.

"Loads," he replied, reaching for a bottle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rosalie sidle up to Louis, muttering something in his ear. Niall pretended to busy himself with opening a new bottle of liquor while his friend seemed to get quite involved with the girl next to him.

"I'm gonna... use the bathroom..." Niall trailed off as he stood up. Louis only seemed to be partially listening, more concerned with Rosalie nipping at his neck. Niall snorted and shook his head as he made his way to another side of the common room, but not before filling his cup.

"Nice job kickin' Davies' ass today, Horan!" someone shouted. Niall raised his drink and smiled.

"All in a day's work!" He replied, downing his drink nearly in one go. It wasn't long before the room seemed to tilt slightly and his eyes weren't completely in focus. He sat slumped in an armchair, cup almost slipping through his fingers as he ruminated on the thing that had been bothering him; a certain Ravenclaw. A mess of brown hair appeared before him suddenly and he was alarmed. Was he dreaming? How did Harry get in the Gryffindor common room? But something was off about Harry...

"Mate! You're looking too sad for my likin'. Get up, we're gonna prank some fuckers," said the figure. It was Louis, littered in hickeys and lipstick stains. Niall really didn't want to get up from his comfortable spot. Some nice people had even given him some of their food they had knicked from the kitchens. Although pranking did seem like fun...

"Alright, you lead the way," Niall said as he stood up, swaying slightly. Louis cheered and they both stumbled out of the portrait hole and into the dark castle.

Niall had no idea what Louis had in mind but he followed along anyway. Louis told him to stand watch at the end of the corridor while Louis pulled out his wand and began to say a few incantations. Niall squinted at him in the darkness before he remembered he had to be keeping watch. His head jerked to his left and then his right. The coast seemed clear.

"Niall."

Niall blinked and squinted around him. Louis was still down the corridor, waving his wand and trying to keep balanced.

"Niall." He heard his named whispered again. Niall widened his eyes and much as they would go as if this would allow him to see through the darkness better.

"For fuck's sake, Niall, over here," the voice said. Niall wheeled around and stared at the tapestry hanging behind him. A hand reached out and pulled him behind it. There seemed to be another corridor behind it, one that Niall had never noticed before, or perhaps he was too drunk to remember. His captor was still holding onto his arm and he could feel their warm breath on his cheek.

"What the hell," Niall mumbled, trying to free himself.

"It's Zayn. How much did you have to drink?" they said. It was in fact Zayn; Niall recognized his voice and the familiar scent of his cologne.

"A lil' too much," Niall admitted, rubbing his face. Zayn chuckled at this. "What are you doing wandering around?"

"Been looking for Leona, then I saw you and Louis prowling around like a couple of drunk cats," Zayn answered. "Now that I've got you here..." Niall felt Zayn lean in, his lips pressing against his. He didn't object, his lips moving in response while grabbing a handful of the front of Zayn's robes and pulling him close. For a moment he wondered what it would be like to kiss Harry before he realized how ridiculous that sounded.

At that moment, they heard someone coming in their direction and they pulled apart. A bright light suddenly appeared and Niall yelped, his eyes hurting from the sudden change from dark to light.

"Niall? What's wrong?" He heard Louis' concerned voice ask. A second later, a body crashed through the tapestry and nearly knocked Niall and Zayn over. Louis got up from the ground and dusted himself off, squinting.

"Whoa, what's everyone doing out tonight?" They all turned to look in the direction of the light and they realized there were three others in the passage with them.

"Put your fuckin' wand down first, I can't see," Niall grunted, holding up a hand to shield his eyes.

"Oh, sorry." The wand's owner lowered his wand and Niall swallowed hard. It was Harry and standing beside him was Leona and Liam. Niall became aware of how awkward this scene must have seemed - he was standing with Zayn in the passageway and Louis crashed through shortly after. He hoped they hadn't seen him and Zayn lip locked, praying silently that the darkness had given them the cover they needed. Niall noticed the way Harry's eyes slid between them all.

"We were setting up a prank," Louis spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "I dunno what this one is doing here." He gestured toward Zayn who held his hands up.

"I was looking for Leona. Are you alright?" Zayn asked, looking over at his best friend. She merely smiled knowingly and nodded. A silence fell over them once more but it did not last long when they heard a yell from the corridor on the other side of the tapestry. They all exchanged frightened glances.

"Uh, should... should we go check what that was?" Liam asked quietly.

"I suppose," Harry answered reluctantly. They all crowded around the entrance of the other corridor, peeking through to see what it was that made the noise. Niall wondered if it could have been Peeves the Poltergeist, trying to spook anyone out of bed, but the yell seemed too high pitched to be Peeves...

"I see someone," Louis squinted down the corridor. He let out a hearty laugh and clapped his hands. "Someone fell into my trap!" He gleefully made his way toward the person seemingly caught in something. The rest of the group followed along, the light from Harry's wand bobbing as he walked. He held his wand high when he reached the 'trap' and their faces paled.

Someone was indeed caught. A network of what looked like spiderwebs was stuck along the walls and blocked the rest of the corridor. The webs were transclucent, almost invisible had it not been for the way the person was held suspended in them and struggling against their clutches. It wasn't the creepy spiderwebs that had worried them, but rather the person caught in them.

"Students out of bed!" Professor Flitwick squeaked as he struggled. "Help me out of this!" Harry scrambled around the others and stepped forward, pointing his wand at the webs.

"Reducto!" They were blasted away and reduced to dust.

Leona and Liam helped Professor Flitwick stand upright and they watched as he brushed himself off. Niall wished he could be back in that passageway, making out with Zayn instead of saving professors from weird traps.

"Six students, out of bed! And one of my own!" Flitwick exclaimed, glaring at Harry. "You of all people should know better! You are a Prefect, Mr. Styles!" Harry stared at the ground, gnawing on his lip. Niall stared at him in amusement, he was reminded him of a small child. "And you, Mr. Horan! Gryffindor Quidditch captain! Professor McGonagall is not going to like hearing about this!" Niall jumped at his name and he looked down at Flitwick in anguish at the mention of McGonagall.

"Professor, please, don't tell Professor McGonagall. She'll want to kick me off the team or something!" Niall protested. Flitwick faltered slightly but he squared off his shoulders and lifted his chin.

"W-well you should have thought of that before roaming around at night and getting up to crazy antics. I assume this was your doing, Mr. Horan?" Flitwick gestured at the now blasted up webs.

"Actually, that was me, sir," Louis piped up.

"A good bit of Charms magic, Mr. Tomlinson..." Flitwick said admiringly. Louis grinned at this. "B-but, detention for you all!" Flitwick added quickly, catching himself. "And ten points from each house!"

Getting caught by Flitwick had sobered them all up and with the promise of detention later that week, they dejectedly returned to their respective houses before Flitwick decided to get any angrier. Leona and Zayn quickly walked off toward the dungeons, but not before Leona bid Harry goodbye with a hug. Harry leaned down and said something to Leona before she sauntered off. Niall pretended not to see this exchange. Liam said goodnight to them all and followed the two Slytherins, his stop being the basement. Niall stepped past Harry, catching his eye.

"You're a Prefect, Mr. Styles," Niall said in his best impression of the tiny professor.

"And you're Gryffindor Quidditch captain!" Harry said back in an equally squeaky voice, his hands on his hips. They both laughed and Niall felt a strange pain in his chest; why couldn't they just go back to laughing together all the time? Why did he have to feel so weird around Harry anymore?

"We got off lucky," Harry said, tucking his wand away.

"I'll say. Good thing I'm brilliant at Charms too!" Louis said. Niall rolled his eyes. They climbed up a few flights of stairs until they reached their floor, Niall walking a few steps behind his friends to look at Harry from the back. Whenever Harry would glance back at Niall, he would quickly become interested in the floor beneath his feet.

"This is me," Harry said, stopping at the bottom of some stairs that led to his common room. "See you guys in detention."

"Later, mate," Louis said nodding to him.

"Hopefully we don't have to scrub shit for Filch," Niall grumbled.

"Knowing Flitwick, we'll probably write lines or read our textbooks," Harry chuckled. "Night."

"Goodnight." Niall turned and walked with Louis to Gryffindor Tower. When they entered the portrait hole, most of the common room had emptied out. They climbed the stairs to their dormitory and began dressing for bed. Niall collapsed onto his four poster bed, happy to finally get off his feet and relax. He was just about to drift off to sleep when Louis spoke.

"What were you doing with Zayn in that hallway?" Niall swallowed hard and tried to think of something quickly.

"Uh, just ran into him. Threated to cast a Bat Boegy hex on him," Niall replied. But his lie went unheard when Louis let out a snore. Niall sighed with relief and got comfortable against his pillows. Hiding whatever he had with Zayn was getting harder and fighting whatever feelings he had for Harry was getting harder as well. The light rain tapping against the window calmed him and he felt his eyes get heavy. The last thing Niall remember before falling fully asleep was Harry smiling at him in the corridor before they parted ways.


	7. Invitations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have posted this chapter sooner but work got in the way. Also my classes will be starting up on Monday so updates will be a little slower than usual. Sorry for the inconvenience! :(

Leona's head throbbed the next day and she resigned to sitting in the Slytherin common room between classes. She had gone to breakfast, to Zayn's insistance, but found that any food placed in front of her made her nauseous. She could hear Zayn's voice in her head saying, "You shouldn't drink so much, you lightweight." She rolled her eyes at the thought. While she sat and tried to ignore Zayn mocking her while he ate breakfast, the owl post came and an owl dropped a note on her lap.

' _Miss Westrup,_

_You will serve your detention on Tuesday evening at 8 o'clock in my office. Bring a quill, I will provide the ink._

_Signed, Professor Filius Flitwick_ '

Zayn had gotten a note from Professor Flitwick as well, though his read differently. It instructed him to report to Filch in the trophy room at eight on Tuesday evening. Zayn groaned in reponse; it was very likely Filch would make him polish the trophies and there had to be hundreds of them. He complained that Flitwick must be playing favorites if Leona was only to bring a quill.

Leona sat curled in a leather chair, rereading the note under the light of a green lamp hanging above her. Perhaps all she had to do was write lines, that didn't seem too bad of a punishment. She stuffed the note in her pocket just as Zayn walked up, a cup and saucer in hand.

"Got you some ginger tea to settle your stomach," He said, setting the steaming cup on the dark wood table in front of her. 

"Thank you," she smiled weakly before reaching for it.

"Y'know, I've never gotten detention," Zayn said, taking a seat near her on a leather sofa. "And now I get one after looking for you." Leona sighed.

"I'm sorry. I should have sent an owl or something. But you know, you seemed to give up quite quickly," she noted, raising her eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, you were found with Niall Horan." Zayn pursed his lips at this and she laughed. 

A shadow passed by the dimly lit windows and they both glanced over in time to see the end of something long swim past in the lake above them. 

"Giant Squid, I think," Leona presumed. Zayn nodded in agreement though he didn't seem very much interested in the antics of the lake's creatures. He turned to look at Leona and leaned forward slightly.

"Let me ask you something... does Niall seem... off to you?" He asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Leona sipped at her tea and thought for a moment. She had never really interacted with Niall but now that Zayn mentioned it, he did seem less outgoing than before.

"A little bit. Is something going on?" she asked, searching Zayn's expression. He seemed lost in thought for a few seconds.

"I'm not sure. We don't really discuss things when we're together," He explained.

"Mhm," Leona said, taking another sip of her tea. Zayn flung a throw pillow in her direction and she quickly moved to avoid it.  
"Shut up. I'm not sure Niall really knows what he wants. He'll party and hang around girls but he always comes back to me. Yet he never says he wants a relationship and he doesn't tell his friends about me," Zayn said. Leona set the tea cup down and watched her best friend gaze into the fireplace. She knew Zayn cared about Niall even though their interactions were mostly kept to secret and quick meetings in corridors and classrooms during their free time. It pained her to see her friend upset. 

"I could ask Harry to talk to Niall," she said suddenly. "They're good friends, I'm sure he'll know what's wrong." The troubled look on Zayn's face slipped away as he regarded this idea. Just then, the bell rang for class and Zayn stood up. 

"Okay, I'd appreciate that, Leo," he said warmly. 

"Anytime," Leona smiled. She watched him dash to the exit to get to his class (thankfully she would enjoy a free period) and settled down into her chair. The ginger tea seemed to be working somewhat as her stomach churned a little less than before. As much as she hated to admit it, Zayn was right in that she should drink less. Something always seemed to go wrong while she was drunk but she supposed there could be worse things than detention. 

Before she returned to the Slytherin Dungeon the previous night, she hugged Harry, unable to keep up her cool exterior from all of the alcohol consumed. She had been taken by surprise when he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Goodnight, love." The way his lips brushed against her ear and felt his warm, firewhiskey scented breath tickle her skin, a jolt of electricity went up her spine and she stood rigid for a few seconds. "'Night," she mumbled before taking off after Zayn. 

It was safe to say the curly haired Ravenclaw had quite an effect on her. Sure, they had spent a wild night together in an empty classroom but it had left much to be desired - they were hasty in their approach, fueled by the lowered inhibitions left by liquor. The fact that she still didn't know much about Harry bothered her. What did he like to do in his free time? What were his pet peeves? Why was he friends with so many Quidditch players? Hell, why did he ever approach her?

The passage door opened just then and Ross Wynch, one of the Slytherin prefects, marched in. Leona was surprised when he walked up to her, her eyes widening slightly in interest as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment paper. 

"Styles asked me to give this to you," Ross explained, handing her the paper. She took it and turned it over in her hands in curiosity. "Said he wants an answer back soon."

"Er... thanks," she responded. He gave her a curt nod before retreating his dormitory. She surveyed the paper before opening it. 'Wonder what this is about...' she thought inwardly as her eyes fell to the tidy scratchings of ink. 

' _Leona,_

_Sorry about landing us in detention. Come with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow? Butterbeers on me!_

_Harry xx_ '

She felt her lips curl into a smile. Her hands felt around in her robes for a spare quill and she reached for one of the inkwells on a table nearby before scrawling down her reponse on the back of the note. It was an obvious yes.

* * *

 

Harry stared wearily over the scroll of parchment in front of him, reading and rereading the lines he just wrote to ensure their correctness. Flitwick had assigned him extra Charms homework and pulled him aside after class to tell him what he would be doing for detention. 

"I'm sorry sir, but did you say collect salamanders and pond slime?" Harry inquired.

"I absolutely did," squeaked Flitwick. "I'm sorry, Mr. Styles, but Hagrid needed assistance and I thought you would be up to the job. A delinquent prefect is not a good example. Putting you to work would instill some good into you!"

His emerald eyes fell to the gleaming prefect's badge on his chest. For a spilt second, he had the urge to rip it off and toss it in the flames crackling merrily in the fireplace. What good did him being a prefect do? He hadn't really wanted this responsibility and neglected most of the rules that went along with it. Harry didn't really care for patroling the corridors or taking house points away from troublemakers; his fellow Ravenclaw prefects carried most of the weight.

A sound of irritation rose in his throat as he realized a number of ink stains littered across his hands from slaving over his extra Charms homework. What was that spell for cleaning things up? Leona would know... The dark haired girl appeared in his mind almost immediately and he bit at his lip. He wondered if she was feeling okay as she did have more to drink than he did. Harry also wondered if the note he wrote to her earlier that day had made it to her. The Slytherin prefect Ross Wynch, though a man of few words, was a dependable person. Harry hoped that he made the right choice in chosing him to be the messenger. 

Harry's note had nearly been intercepted by Lyndsey, the auburn haired Ravenclaw in his year who enjoyed boys just as much as she loved drama. The Great Hall had been quite busy and loud at lunch yet Lyndsey noticed Harry trying to hand the note off to Ross. Rosalie, Lyndsey's partner in crime from Gryffindor house, watched on quietly. 

"What's that you've got there, Harry?" Lyndsey had purred.

"Prefect business, you wouldn't understand," Harry lied as Ross quickly stuffed it in his pocket and sat down without another word. Lyndsey wasn't satisfied and continued to prod Harry for answers throughout lunch. After eating some cottage pie in aggravation, he resigned to grabbing a few mini fruit tarts and fled the Great Hall to enjoy his food elsewhere. 

The bell sounded and Harry looked up from his mostly completed work. It would have to be left until later, he needed to get to class. He shoved all of his things in his bag and slung it over his shoulder, ignoring Lyndsey whose gaze was focused on him from across the common room. When Harry reached the dungeons, his class was still waiting outside for the previous class to let out. He leaned against the cold stone wall, apprehensive about having to sit under the beetle black eyes of Snape once more. 

A pair of shoes clicked towards the entrance, stopping in front of him. His eyes caught sight of a pair of Mary-Janes and he looked up at their owner. There Leona stood, stoic as ever, Harry unable to read her expression as she reached down and grabbed his hand while students flooded out of the room behind her. His heart skipped a beat at the contact but he was soon bewildered when she suddenly let go and slipped into the classroom. Wait a minute... A note, there was a note in his hand!

He followed her into the room and took his usual seat, setting his bag down and eager to read the note. He unfolded it and there in neat handwriting was Leona's answer.

' _I'd love to. See you tomorrow!_ '

A heart was drawn next to those six words. The corners of Harry's mouth rose into a smile and he looked up, eyes locking onto her dark ones. She returned the smile and faced forward as the class began. Things were turning out okay after all.


End file.
